HIV/STI Counseling, Testing & Referrals

Fenway Health is a Safe and Respectful Place to Receive Testing and Counseling for HIV/AIDS and Other STIs

The HIV/STI public health clinics at Fenway Health are funded by government grants to specifically serve men who have sex with men and/or those who identify as transgender, and their partners.

If you are seeking HIV/STI testing and identify as a man who has sex with men and/or as transgender, or you have a partner who identifies as such, please call the Fenway Health Prevention & Screening Hotline at 617-267-0159 to schedule an appointment or visit one of our walk-in clinics. Time and locations of walk-in clinics can be found at www.yourhealthboston.org.

If you do not identify as a man who has sex with men and/or as transgender, or you are not a partner of someone who identifies as such, please call 617-927-6000 to schedule an appointment with a Fenway Health Primary Care provider, or to discuss same-day appointment/walk-in options.

If you have insurance and a provider, we encourage you to get STD testing as part of a medical appointment. Call 617.927.6000 to make an appointment. If you get your primary care elsewhere, ask your doctor to refer you to Fenway for a sexual health screening.

In order to book a slot, please call 617.267.0159 to pre-register. Make sure to call us right away if you have symptoms of an STD, or someone you have recently had sex with told you they were just diagnosed with an STD. STD testing for those in need include comprehensive testing for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, Hepatitis C and HIV.

HIV and STD testing is available at a number of Fenway Health, AIDS Action, and Multicultural AIDS Coalition locations. Please visit our HIV & STD Prevention website yourhealthboston.org for locations and schedules for testing and counseling. Our website also provides information on how HIV & STDs are transmitted and how to play safe. We also list up-to-date information on support groups, social & educational events, and research studies.

Because there are multiple locations and options for HIV testing, call 617.267.0159 to speak with a counselor or visit yourhealthboston.org for more information.

Your counselor can book an appointment for you, or inform you of the nearest and soonest walk-in times. For more information about HIV/AIDS, click here.

Testing Locations & Services Offered

Walk-In HIV & Hepatitis C Testing

HIV and STD testing is available at a number of Fenway Health, AIDS Action, and Multicultural AIDS Coalition locations. Please visit our HIV & STD Prevention website yourhealthboston.org for locations and schedules for testing and counseling. Our website also provides information on how HIV & STDs are transmitted and how to play safe. We also list up-to-date information on support groups, social & educational events, and research studies.

As of Jan. 22, 2018 the walk-in STI clinic on Mondays and Tuesdays at Fenway Health will become appointment only. To schedule an appointment please call 617.267.0159. Our evening walk-in clinics on Wednesdays (at 1340 Boylston Street) and Thursdays (at 142 Berkeley Street) will still remain in operation. Please visit www.yourhealthboston.org for the full list of testing times and locations.

Because there are multiple locations and options for HIV testing, call 617.267.0159 to speak with a counselor or visit yourhealthboston.org for more information.

Walk-In testing at the Ansin Building

Monday and Tuesday: by appointment only at 1340 Boylston. Please call 617.267.0159.

Thursday and Friday: by appointment only at 1340 Boylston. Please call 617.267.0159.Thursday walk-in HIV and Hepatitis C walk-in testing now available at our South End location. Click the Fenway: South End tab above for more information.

Hepatitis C serum testing is now automatically included with HIV serum testing

HIV testing is also available as part of a medical visit, by appointment, and by walk-in (based on counselor availability). Ask your provider, or call 617.267.0159 and a counselor can arrange for you to get tested. As part of your visit we offer confidential counseling to help you deal with the issues that surround your decision to test and the impact of knowing your status. Documentation of test results is available at your request.

Need STD Testing?

Fenway offers STD testing throughout the week for those in need. Call 617.267.0159 to speak with a counselor.

Syphilis, Gonorrhea & Chlamydia screening

Treatment for symptomatic bacterial STDs & known exposures

Assessment for herpes & HPV symptoms (warts)

If you have a known exposure to an STD, or if you have symptoms, call your doctor right away, or call 617.267.0159 for counseling, information and to schedule an appointment.

Fenway serves all individuals and families regardless of ability to pay. We provide free care and discounted charges on a sliding scale depending on family size and income, and to persons with significant medical expenses.

Rapid and serum HIV testing are available at our 142 Berkeley Street location as part of a medical visit, at your request. STD testing can be scheduled using your health insurance and by making an appointment with a provider.

HIV and STD testing is available at a number of Fenway Health, AIDS Action, and Multicultural AIDS Coalition locations. Please visit our HIV & STD Prevention website yourhealthboston.org for locations and schedules for testing and counseling. Our website also provides information on how HIV & STDs are transmitted and how to play safe. We also list up-to-date information on support groups, social & educational events, and research studies.

Because there are multiple locations and options for HIV testing, call 617.267.0159 to speak with a counselor or visit yourhealthboston.org for more information.

Walk-In HIV & Hepatitis C testing

Free STD Testing is now available at our South End location, by appointment only

Fenway offers free STD testing throughout the week for those in need. eg: no insurance, high copays, lab bills, or for any reason that precludes billing to your insurance. Call 617.267.0159 to speak with a counselor and request an appointment.

Syphilis, Gonorrhea & Chlamydia screening

Treatment for symptomatic bacterial STDs & known exposures

If you have a known exposure to an STD, or if you have symptoms, call your doctor right away, or call 617.267.0159 for counseling, information and to schedule an appointment.

HIV and STD testing for young people between the ages of 12 and 29 are available at 75 Kneeland Street, Boston 02111. Call 617.457.8140 to make an appointment.

About Getting Tested

Fenway Health offers state-of-the art Generation 4 HIV Ag/Ab testing that not only looks for antibodies, but an antigen as well. This antigen is present in people who are newly infected with HIV and shows up within 14 days of exposure. This test requires a blood draw and results are back in a week or so. One of the big advantages of this test is the fact that the window period is so short. Early detection of HIV can dramatically improve treatment outcomes, as well as prevent those who don’t know they are newly-infected from spreading the virus to others. Newly infected HIV positive people are among the most infectious. Many transmissions happen because most newly-infected people aren’t aware of their status and they inadvertently pass HIV on to their partners.

For some time, we have looked for antibodies to determine if someone has HIV. Although this is still the most common way to detect HIV, there is a window period of between 2-12 weeks after exposure before the HIV antibodies show up.

Fenway now offers Generation 4 testing technology that not only looks for antibodies, but an antigen as well. This antigen is present in people who are newly infected with HIV and shows up within 14 days of exposure. With our generation 4 serum testing, HIV infections can be detected 2 weeks after exposure.

Note: this test is not available at all sites and at all times, and a return visit is needed to receive your results, as they are processed in a lab. Ask your counselor if the antigen/antibody serum test is right for you.

Ask the Docs is an online service of Fenway Health that allows gay and bisexual men and transgender people to get answers to questions about their medical, sexual and mental health. Click fenwayhealth.org/askthedocs to post your question.

In addition to booking you an appointment or explaining Fenway services, the HIV and STD Counseling Line offers free telephone counseling to those with questions or concerns about their sexual health, health insurance, LGBT issues, referrals and more. Counselors are available by telephone from 11:00 am – 6:00 pm Monday through Thursdays and 11:00 am – 5:00 pm on Fridays. All of our counselors are certified by the state of Massachusetts and are ready to talk to you. Call 617.267.0159.

For patients with complex health problems such as HIV and other chronic illnesses, Fenway offers comprehensive case management services. Our registered nurses and medical case managers help patients understand and access the many resources available to them.

For chronically ill patients, the primary care nurse assumes the additional role of case manager, assisting and supporting you through the course of your illness. Your RN will help you understand the disease process and the impact it is likely to have on your health and provide the information you need to stay healthy and make sound choices about your health care.

Medical case managers are available to help you cope with the practical and emotional aspects of your care and help you access mental health counseling from a therapist. A medical case manager can help you apply for Medicare or Medicaid and access community-based services, such as financial, housing and legal assistance programs; coordinate and facilitate communication among multiple service providers; and make referrals to various other services. To help patients deal with the profound disruptions—physical, emotional, and financial—that serious illness or injury can bring, medical case managers also provide short-term, focused counseling and education to patients and their families.

Information About HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis & Other STIs

Acquired means you can get infected with it.

Immune Deficiency means a weakness in the body’s system that fights diseases.

Syndrome means a group of health problems that make up a disease.

AIDS is caused by a virus called HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. If you get infected with HIV, your body will try to fight the infection. It will make antibodies – special molecules to fight HIV. A blood test for HIV looks for these antibodies. If you have them in your blood, it means that you have HIV infection. People who have HIV antibodies are called “HIV-Positive.” To schedule an HIV test or for more information on Fenway’s HIV Counseling & Testing Services, call 617.267.0159. For more information about HIV/AIDS, click here.

Hepatitis refers to viral infections of the liver. There are several types of hepatitis, but here we will discuss the most common – Hepatitis A, B and C. Different types of hepatitis are transmitted in different ways:

Hepatitis A

is transmitted through oral contact with contaminated feces. It can be passed through sexual contact, especially in men who have sex with men, or by coming into contact with contaminated food. There is a vaccine for Hepatitis A. •

Hepatitis B

is highly contagious and usually contracted through sexual contact with an infected partner or through contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids. There is a vaccine for Hepatitis B.

Hepatitis C

is more difficult to acquire than other types of hepatitis and is most commonly transmitted through blood-to-blood contact as can happen when injection drug users share needles. There is no vaccine for Hepatitis C and it can often be incurable.

Hepatitis symptoms vary in intensity from person to person but commonly include:

Fatigue, at times severe enough to make it difficult to get out of bed

Loss of appetite

Nausea and vomiting that gets worse as the day progresses

Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

Darker urine than normal and sand colored feces

Loss of smoking desire

Dull pain in upper abdomen (Hepatitis A)

For more information on hepatitis, it’s symptoms and how to protect yourself from it, click here.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are infections you can get through sexual contact involving the mouth, penis, vagina or anus. Each year, there are more than 15 million new STD cases in the United States. STDs are more common that most people think. Young people are at particularly high risk.

Most STDs are easily cured if they are caught early. Unfortunately, many people don’t seek treatment because they have no symptoms and they don’t know that they have an infection. Other people have symptoms, but they don’t go to the doctor because they are embarrassed or they don’t realize that their symptoms are the warning signs of a serious infection. If left untreated, some STDs can cause severe health problems or even death. And if you don’t have an STD treated, you are more likely to pass it on to someone else. Talk to your doctor or counselor about any STD concerns you might have.

To schedule an HIV test or for more information on Fenway’s HIV Counseling & Testing Services, please call

617.267.0159

Ansin Building

1340 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215

Appointments

617.927.6000

Fenway: South End

142 Berkeley Street
Boston, MA 02116

Appointments

617.247.7555

Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center

75 Kneeland Street
Boston, MA 02111

Appointments

617.457.8140

MyFenway

Patients can use MyFenway.org or MyBorum.org to request prescription refills and referrals online, and communicate over email with some Fenway Health or Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center providers. Get help creating a MyFenway or MyBorum account here.